Said Nursi’nin Delâilu’n-Nubuvve Anlayışı

The genre of Dalâil al-Nubuwwa emerged to establish and demonstrate the legiti-macy of the Mohammad’s prophethood. Based on historical sources, it is understood that the development of this genre, which first appeared in the second century of the Hijri calendar, was fully formed by the fourth century. This literature particularly gai-ned prominence as Muslims began interacting with non-Muslims. Originating as a de-fense of prophethood, divine revelation, and the core tenets of Islamic faith against competing religious, philosophical, and other ideological views, these works gradu-ally became a recognized body of literature. Islamic scholars endeavored to provide rational, revelatory, and sensory arguments in support of prophethood, specifically that of Prophet Muhammad, often framed in the context of extraordinary miracles and wonders. These works, composed over centuries, aimed to prove the legitimacy of his prophethood. With the spread of Islam among Eastern Christians, anti-Islamic polemics began to surface, prompting Muslim scholars to produce defensive writings in response. Among these were treatises focused on the Prophet’s prophethood, such as those in the Delā'il al-Nubuwwah tradition. The ideas presented in these early works served as foundational references for later scholars in the field. One such figu-re is Bediüzzaman Saîd Nursî, a prominent intellectual of the late Ottoman Empire. Nursî’s works often centered on isbat al-wājib al-wujūd (the proof of necessary exis-tence) and tawhid (the oneness of God). Additionally, he contributed original insights to the field of Dalâ'il al-Nubuwwa. This study specifically examines Saîd Nursî’s appro-ach to the subject of dalâil as discussed in the 19th letter of his work Mektûbât. While Nursî generally follows the traditional trajectory in discussing delāil, his unique com-mentary on the narrations he includes, along with his responses to potential reader questions, set him apart. The fact that Nursî’s work is a dalâil text written in the mo-dern period further amplifies its significance.